Fergie and Josh Are Over but Don’t Fret

Alas, another celebrity divorce hits the headlines, accompanied by an E! News instagram post. Whodunnit this time? Fergie and Josh Duhamel, who had been married for eight years and have a 4-year-old son. This news comes just a few short weeks after the Internet exploded with news of Anna Faris and Chris Pratt’s separation announcement. The two had also been together for eight years and have a 4-year-old son. Every time a Hollywood split hits the news, the public response is the same. People claim that divorce rates are still on the rise, but a plethora of social scientists have attempted to debunk this myth over the past few years. A New York Times article published in 2014 titled “The Divorce Surge Is Over, but the Myth Lives On” and written by Claire Cain Miller asserts a more comprehensive view of the divorce trends. While Americans did experience a major divorce surge in the 1970s, this rate has only declined in the last thirty years. Celebrity breakups like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, and the infamous uncoupling of Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin perpetuate this myth by making headlines and stirring concerns of a climbing divorce rate. Seeing these splits all over the pop culture news circuits confirms the “no one stays together anymore” mindset. Statistics can be confusing and public opinion will continue to insist on alarming divorce rates. It’s important to remember that marriage rates have actually been decreasing for decades, as social trends toward marriage are not as strong and the conventional ideas of the American family are evolving. Additionally, the divorce rate spike of the 1970s marked an important effect of the feminist movement, which allowed women the freedom to end unhappy, and sometimes abusive, marriages. These statements do not negate the negative consequences of divorce, especially when young children are involved. However, the consumers of pop culture news are too quick to react when word of a celebrity split gets out. Maybe people feel a sense of reality when famous couples divorce, since it brings the Hollywood stars down to earth with the rest of us. But maybe people are starting to use these announcements as “evidence” to support a myth that has already been debunked. The facts are still facts, and even though the statistics can be misleading, we cannot ignore the truth of the trends. And when all else fails, just remember that we still have the Obamas to get our daily dose of #relationshipgoals.